Foot powder and air circulating shoe



May 26, 1959 s. STARR 2,887,793.

Foo'r POWDER AND A13 CIRCULAHNG SHOE Filed oet. 17, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 f INVENTOR. 57 g 24 SAM STARR 26 BY m WLB S. STARR FOOT POWDER AND AIR CIRCULATING SHOE May 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 17, 1957 "www ATTUP/VFY United States Patent O FOOT POWDER AND AIR `CIRCULATING SHOE Sam Starr, Brooklyn, N .Y.

Application 'October 17, 1957, Serial No. 690,802

3 Claims. (Cl. 36-3) This invention relates to the art of footwear and particularly concerns a novel shoe structure with means for circulating air or powder in a shoe while in use to cool the foot of the wearer and making wearing of the shoe more comfortable.

The invention is especially adapted to footwear such as slippers, shoes, boots, and the like.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide an article of footwear with a sole construction having an expansible chamber adapted to discharge and circulate air and/ or powder through the footwear.

It is a further object to provide a sole structure adapted to facilitate circulation of air and/or powder through the sole.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partially in section of a shoe embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the inner sole of the shoe.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is another top plan view of the inner sole with a flap retracted to show internal structure.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on lines 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the inner sole.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View of another form of inner sole.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of still another form of sole structure.

Fig. l0 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 1l is a fragmentary bottom plan view of another form of inner sole structure according to the invention.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of a bladder employed in the structure of Fig. 1l.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the bladder.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on lines 14-14 of Fig. ll.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, there is shovsm a shoe 20 having an outer sole 21, heel 22, inner sole 23, and a partial lining 24 for the inner sole. The upper 25 of the shoe is secured in a recess 26 formed in the front end of the inner sole 23. The inner sole has a plurality of apertures 28 extending therethrough. The bottoms of these apertures or passages are joined by a grid-Work of interconnected grooves or passages 30 at the bottom of the inner sole, as best shown in Fig. 6. 'I'he inner sole lining 24 extends over the narrow heel receiving portion of the inner sole, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The lining is formed with a loose liap 32 while the remainder of the lining is cemented to the sole 23.

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A chamber 33 is formed at the shank portion of the sole 23 with a thin flexible piece of leather serving as an outer wall 34. An extension of the shank portion of sole 23 forms part of the walls of the chamber with the outer wall 34. This extension is formed by splitting an extended shank portion of the sole to form two thin ilexible pieces forming wall portions 37 and 38. The material of wall 34 overlies Wall portion 37 and terminates at the bottom of the sole as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. 'Ihe material of wall 34 forms the top of the chamber and is cemented to the inner side wall portion 38. A flap 39 iS cut in Wall portion 38 to leave a hole 40 which is covered when the flap is closed and the lining flap 32 is placed over the wall portion 38. Inside the chamber 33 is a spring 41 which is arranged to expand and compress as the shoe is used in walking and the sole 23 is flexed. The chamber may contain a quantity of powder 42 or may contain merely air. An opening is provided into the chamber by a slit 43 in the bottom of the sole 23. A short thin flexible rubber tube 45 extends from the chamber 33 to terminate at the passages 30 and apertures 28.

In normal Wear of the shoe 20, the extended shank portion of the sole fits snugly against the arch of the wearers foot with some looseness, so that as the wearer walks, the powder and air are ejected in puffs and spurts through tube 45. The powder and air circulate through the passages 30 and pass through apertures 28 to both cool the wearers foot and surround it in a spray of footeasing powder.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a modified form of inner sole construction in which passages or apertures 28 are omitted. Tube 45 terminates at the rectangular grid-work of grooves or passages 30 in the bottom of the sole. This form of the invention is intended only to circulate air below the wearers foot to cool the foot as he walks.

Figs. 9 and l0 show another manner in which the passages for circulating air beneath the sole can be formed. A plurality of slits 47 are formed in a thin layer 49 of leather material. The slits are interconnected in a grid pattern and communicate with the tube 45 which is lodged in a small transverse slit portion 48 of the layer 49. The layer is cemented to the bottom of the inner sole 23 which itself may be free of the apertures and passages shown in Figs. 1-8.

In Figs. 1l, 12, 13 and 14 is shown still another form of the invention in which the chamber 33 contains a flexible rubber bulb or bladder 50 having a terminal neck or tube 45. This tube Iterminates at passages 30 and apertures 2S in the same manner as tube 45. It operates in a manner similar to spring 41 to separate wall sections 37, 38 to assist contraction and expansion of the walls of the chamber as the wearer of the shoe walks. The bulb may be lled with powder or may contain only air. The bulb 50 is removed from the chamber by uncovering flap 32.

|It is to be understood that this arrangement may be adapted for footwear of all types with or without welted soles.

In all other respects the form of invention of Fig. 1l is similar to the form of Fig. l and similar reference nu* merals are used to indicate similar parts.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

l. An article of footwear, comprising an upper, an inner sole, an outer sole, said upper and outer sole secured to one side of the inner sole, said inner sole formed with a plurality of apertures disposed in spaced positions in a plurality of rows, said one side of the inner sole formed with a plurality of grooves disposed in a grid pattern interconnecting all of the apertures, said grooves constituting continuous passages with the adjacent outer sole, a portion of the outer perimeter of the inner sole extended and split into sections to form parts of the walls of a chamber, lexible means disposed in the chamber for biasing the walls in a separated position, a iiexible cover disposed over the ends of said sections to complete the walls of the chamber, a ilexible tube connected between the chamber and said grooves, one of said sections having a rst ap cut therein to form a closable opening into the chamber, and a lining secured to the other side of the inner sole, said lining having a retractible flap portion covering said iirst flap.

2. An article of footwear, comprising an upper, an inner sole, an outer sole, said upper and outer sole secured to one side of the inner sole, said inner sole formed with a plurality of apertures disposed in spaced positions i in a plurality of rows, said one side of the inner sole formed with a plurality of grooves disposed in a grid pattern interconnecting all of the apertures, said grooves constituting continuous passages with the adjacent outer sole, a portion of the outer perimeter of the inner sole extended and split into sections to form parts of the walls of a chamber, flexible means disposed in the chamber for biasing the Walls in a separated position, and a ilexible cover disposed over the ends of said sections to complete the walls of the chamber.

3. An article of footwear, comprising an upper, an inner sole, an outer sole, said upper and outer sole secured to one side of the inner sole, said inner sole formed with a plurality of apertures disposed in spaced positions in a plurality of rows, said one side of the inner sole formed with a plurality of grooves disposed in a grid pattern interconnecting all of the apertures, said grooves constituting continuous passages with the adjacent outer sole, a shank portion of the inner sole extended and split into sections to form parts of the Walls of a chamber, a exible bladder disposed in the chamber for biasing the walls in a separated position, a lleXible cover disposed over the ends of said sections to complete the walls of the chamber, said bladder having a neck extending up to said grooves, and a lining secured to the other side of the inner sole.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 964,482 Bernat July 19, 1910 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,439 Australia Oct. 9, 1931 183,678 Austria June 27, 1952 640,720 Germany Jan. 11, 1937 858,306 France May 6, 1940 

